Remember when you used to take breaks? You know, really take a break and play with your smartphone for fifteen minutes to "relax." Where did real downtime go? Did we willingly force it into extinction?

Scott Belsky, CEO of Behance, reminds us how easily we're willing to give up our distraction-free downtime and why:

Why do we give up our sacred space so easily? Because space is scary. During these temporary voids of distraction, our minds return to the uncertainty and fears that plague all of us. To escape this chasm of self-doubt and unanswered questions, you tune into all of the activity and data for reassurance.

We thrive on friendship, family, and the constant affirmation of our existence and relevance. Our self-esteem is largely a product of our interactions with others. It is now possible to always feel loved and cared for, thanks to the efficiency of our "comment walls" on Facebook and seamless connection with everyone we've ever known. Your confidence and self-esteem can quickly be reassured by checking your number of "followers" on Twitter or the number of "likes" garnered by your photographs and blog posts. The traction you are getting in your projects, or with your business, can now be measured and reported in real time.

Our insatiable need to tune into information – at the expense of savoring our downtime – is a form of "work" (something I call "insecurity work") that we do to reassure ourselves.

Do you think we've traded our downtime for affirmation? How do you enforce downtime in a distraction-heavy world? Share your thoughts in the comments.